inverse cosine
- noun
- /ɪnˈvɜrs ˈkoʊsaɪn/
- Specialized
:
coseno inverso
- In trigonometry, the inverse cosine is often represented as arccos, helping to determine angle measures.
So if we're going to be using inverse cosine, we're going to that's going to come from the law of cosines.
- So if we're going to be using inverse cosine, we're going to that's going to come from the law of cosines.
Examples
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Eventually we do an inverse cosine which gives us the angle.
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So if we're going to be using inverse cosine, we're going to that's going to come from the law of cosines.
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To find the angle, you can calculate the inverse cosine of the cosine value.
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The teacher explained how to use the inverse cosine to solve for angles in right triangles.
Synonyms
A function that gives the angle whose cosine equals a given number
An angle whose cosine equals a given number
To find the angle whose cosine equals a given number
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly and transparently derived from combining 'inverse' (opposite/reversed) with 'cosine' (the trigonometric function), so it denotes the inverse function of cosine (arccos), i.e. the angle whose cosine equals a given number. This is a standard mathematical composition found across languages and follows predictable naming patterns, so a learner who knows both constituents can infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
Inverse cosine comes from the words inverse and cosine and the simple idea of 'undoing' the action of cosine. If cosine turns an 'angle' into a number, inverse cosine turns that number back into the 'angle', so we use it to find an angle when we know its cosine.
